


The "superior" theory

by coldnuclear



Series: Dorks in love [1]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 01:37:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4984903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldnuclear/pseuds/coldnuclear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erik believes in order to get Marco to notice him, he has to be better than him in a sport.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The "superior" theory

"Matze!" Erik whined into his best friend's shoulder. "Having a crush is so tiring."  


"Ooh, Erik has a crush!" Mats whistled and Erik squealed, having forgotten he was with his group of friends in the cafeteria. The blush of mortification on Erik's face had all his friends laughing, who nudged both Erik and Marco as they snickered. Erik proceeded to hide his face into Matze's shoulder while Marco was confused as to why he was being nudged. He mistook it as a prompt to ask him on behalf of the rest.  


"Who do you have a crush on, Erik?" He asked then, generally curious. Erik had never shown interest in anyone so far, not that he'd known of. Or maybe it was someone that wasn't among their mutual friends since they aren't in the same clubs; Erik was in Photography while Marco was in Football. Marco got even more confused at the same rate Erik got even redder, if that was even possible for Erik.  


"S-Someone way out of my league?" Erik answered, pressing himself against Matze's side for comfort. Matze laughed in response and put an arm around Erik's shoulders, whispering soothing words into Erik's ear. Marco's gaze softened as he watched the interaction between the two of them. Despite them all being friends for so many years, Erik was still shy and it was adorable.  


"I'm sure he, or she, is not. You're perfect the way you are." Marco sincerely meant every word he said. And he still didn't understand what was the fuss about as all his other friends howled and gave each other looks that he couldn't decipher. Especially as Robert winked at him once more while Mario seemed to be shooting Erik a warm and reassuring smile.

"Yeah, Erik. I'm sure this _guy_ isn't out of your league. He's just stupid." Mats patted Erik on the shoulder in assurance as soon as their group of friends calmed down. They were an odd bunch, to say the least. Most of them from the football club with the exception of Erik and Marcel. Erik had joined the "clique" because he was childhood friends with Matze, the same for Marcel with Marco. Despite that, each individual was different. As a group, they'd have covered all the different curriculums, all the odd subjects yet they're all still very bonded as a group. No one ever gets left out and that was what was special with this group of friends. 

"Sorry lads, I've to save Erik from further embarrassment at this rate." Matze joked as he started to stand up, pulling Erik with him. "Catch you guys at practice later!" With that, the other guys bid goodbye to the pair in response before moving on to another topic. 

"Matze! How can he not have noticed by now?" Erik whined once more, stomping his foot in frustration in the lift as they headed to their room. 

"Truthfully, I have no idea. You're always crashing into him, holding him a little too close and breathing down his neck whenever he greets you with a hug. And that last time you humped him that one time he invited you to join us for practice, trying to teach you how to play football. You're an idiot, football is probably the way to his heart and yet you declared at the end of practice that it wasn't for you. If he liked you before, he probably doesn't anymore because that was heartbreaking news." 

"I did no such thing! I was about to collapse and he looked firm enough but apparently not so we both fell.." Erik muttered, turning bright red once more at the memory. "Why do I even talk to you about such things when you're going to be like that?" 

"Believe me, I'm tired of it as well." Said best friend rolled his eyes. "Believe me," he now smirked. "It's because I'm the only one who is _forcibly willing_ to listen to your melodramatic woes. You got to give it to me at least, I need my fair share of fun and I'm not that bad compared to the others." Erik had to sigh at that. It was the truth. "Why do you even like him, anyway? You two aren't that close." 

"I've no idea either. I just know he's perfect." Erik sighed wistfully. 

"We _all_ know you think he's perfect to you, except the clueless idiot himself." Matze snorted and started making his way to their room, followed by Erik. He felt a little bad for Erik though, his poor friend has been crushing on Marco for three years already. "But you know, maybe he knows, unless he's really that stupid-" 

"He's not stupid!" 

"Oh my god." 

"How can you say that?" 

"Shut up, I'm not done talking!" Matze sighed exasperatedly, not wanting to hear any more of Erik's indignant cries. "So I was saying, he might know but you know how he's like. He might be too embarrassed, or even shy to say anything." Erik had turned quiet afterwards, he plopped down onto his bed and stared into the ceiling. Matze left him be, texting and complaining to Mats through texting about how Erik and Marco _seriously_ need to get together.

"How did Robert and Mario get together?" Erik suddenly asked. Matze turned to him, confused. "Maybe if I can try out the same tactic Mario did, I'll be able to get Marco." Erik answered shyly to his best friend's questioning look, conscious of how ridiculous it sounded. 

"Mario was new to the football club, he was an amateur. But he fell in love at first sight for Robert and was very determined to get his attention and join us. He wanted to be as good as us so that he could play alongside with us. He actually told me that he went for private lessons with his neighbour who was a coach for another school club. He trained very hard and we had no idea. He still seemed to play like an amateur in practice until we had an upcoming match and in our final practice.. man, you should have seen him. He was amazing and he caught us all by surprise. He probably feigned his skills when he got better, he definitely succeeded in getting Robert's attention. The funny part was, Mario played better than half of us, including Robert. But Robert has great sportsmanship and didn't take it to heart. He wasn't bitter like Marco and Auba at first. Mario didn't up them in football but they weren't sure about adding a "newbie". Robert had a talk with him about his skills, even convinced the coach to get him in. At that moment, he was also then new to our.. social circle? Since we're all close friends. Robert took Mario under his wing and they got closer and closer. The rest was history." Matze answered carefully before hurriedly adding. "But Erik, I don't think you can ever up Marco in football. Marco's been playing football since he was a kid. This 'tactic' as you call it might not really work. Plus, Marco is different from Robert. You already up Marco in photography, that's for sure. But he doesn't care about photography. And honestly, you aren't that sporty either. You're too clumsy." Matze had to chuckle while Erik glared at him. 

"Thanks for the support." Erik proceeded to huff and turn his back to Matze. _I'll show him._ He thought, not really sure which "him" he referred to. Football was out of the question. He had to think of other sports. He also had to find time to practice and then show his skills to Marco once he mastered the sport. He could think about how to _casually_ ask him to play with him without it seeming weird. Matze was right, he was _not_ the sporty type. Erik sighed to himself, he should have at least exercised a little to keep in shape. The only free time he has is after class, but that's at night and every night there's dinner with the group. Erik winced, that meant missing out the chance to see Marco. _But it'll be worth it, I'll get him in the end._ He reasoned. 

It was settled then. Initially, it came out as a surprise to all the other guys when Erik excused himself. Erik said he wanted to start keeping in shape so he'd take the time to start jogging at the park near their dorm. But it wasn't something out of the ordinary, Erik had always _tried_ every now and then to get in shape but it was hard for him to get used to a routine. Except Erik couldn't tell them that he was trying on different sports, that might raise alarm bells in their heads. 

He'd tried basketball at first. He figured that it'd be easier since he was tall. But he ended up tripping on his own legs, sometimes even the ball. And when he threw the ballat a wall out of frustration, the ball bounced back and hit him. He ended up with bruises and scrapes all over his arms and legs. He was too embarrassed to even look up at all the curious faces when he limped to their table the next afternoon for lunch break. "Just had a _very_ bad fall." He feebly mumbled. No one bothered to question him further seeing how miserable he looked. Matze just looked at him and shook his head, wordlessly tending to his wounds when Erik came back.

He tried bowling afterwards. But the ball just kept going to the gutter. Sometimes he used too much strength that the ball rolled over to the other lane. He tried to ignore the bewildered looks of the other bowlers, who were obviously a lot better than him and could at least bowl decently. He thought of Marco's smile to focus. Towards the end he dropped the bowling ball on his both of his feet. He'd dropped the ball when he was about to bowl, so the distance between the ball and his foot wasn't a lot. The force still hurt. And he didn't even know how it happened but it did. At least he didn't have to go to the hospital for broken toes because that didn't happen. 

He then tried baseball. He'd asked a classmate on how to use the machine and the way to the batting cage. He was more confident this time. What was the worst thing that could happen? He either hit or missed the ball. 

But it turned out that he had accidentally set the machine to high speed, setting the machine that shot balls that were hungry for human flesh. Erik had weakly called Matze on the phone and he was sent to the hospital with bruised ribs and even more bruises. Erik was injured everywhere, except his face which was sort of a miracle. When he got discharged, Matze sat him down and interrogated him about his intentions. But Erik was a desperate man and he could not let anyone know that, not even his best friend.

"Are you getting bullied?!" Matze ended up freaking out when Erik responded with vague answers. He could not understand why his own best friend refused to open up to him. 

"What? No! I'm not getting bullied! I'm fine! I just.. I can't tell you yet." Erik bit his lip, this was not going the way he hoped for it to go. But then, this was his best friend. "This is something I want to do alone. I hope you'll understand that. And if a problem arises, I'll come to you. But for now, please don't ask or say anything to anyone?" He pleaded, and Matze reluctantly gave in. There was so much determination in Erik's eyes that it scared him, and as long as Erik promised to tell him in the future, he'd support him in whatever he was doing. He'd just tend to his wounds and try to ease the physical pain. 

"You didn't tell me anything, so I can't even spill anything to anyone. Besides, your injuries can't be hidden. You're injured everywhere but your damn face." Matze scoffed before ruffling Erik's hair. "I hope you don't come back with broken bones tomorrow." Erik attempted a weak smile. 

"I just got out of the hospital, how can I possibly return what I'm doing tomorrow?" Erik shook his head. His chest hurt so much. "I'll be joining you guys tomorrow. But do me a favour, please make sure no one asks about my.. situation?" 

"That's going to raise more questions but alright. I hope you'll succeed in your mission, and it better be worth it." Matze sighed once more. Everyone in the group freaked out when Erik was hospitalised but Erik insisted that Matze see him only and for the rest to continue about their business. _This idiot, how can anyone just go on about his business when his friend is injured?!_ Mario had sent in the group chat. _I don't know who is the biggest idiot in our group._ Mats texted. _Unbelievable._ Marcel had commented. _I'm starting to question how he runs, and his sanity. I didn't just pause FIFA for this._ Auba's response came. Everyone had responded to Matze's message, everyone but Marco which was suspicious to Matze. But Erik took it the bad way, saying that Marco didn't care and that meant he probably didn't mean what he said the other day. "I'm sure he was busy." Matze assured Erik. 

But Marco never responded. He didn't say anything when Erik finally joined their dinners. He just looked at Erik strangely and Erik got even more conscious of himself, pressing against Matze even more much to Matze's annoyance. The rest welcomed him warmly though careful when it came to touching him. Erik was beyond touched, but still upset that Marco seemed to disregard him now for some weird reason. _Maybe he thinks I'm a wimp or some sort._ Erik thought miserably and casted his gaze down. He couldn't look up with Marco's stare burning into him, as if judging him.

Erik was set on trying football once he recovered. It seemed that no sport seemed to matter to Marco other than football. Perhaps it'd finally get him and Marco on the same page. Marco is overly passionate about football. Just a mention of it sets him ablaze with excitement and the joy in his eyes when he speaks about it melts other people's hearts, almost getting them to share the love for football because that was just how much football meant to him. Maybe he just had to play football decently in order to get Marco to notice. Afterall, even Marcel knew how to play football. He was the only one in their group that didn't know how to play. This was his last attempt. If he ends up getting another injury, he'd give up. He'd give up on Marco which got him even more upset at the thought. _I'd been crushing on him for so long and it'd all amount to nothing._ What was the worst that could happen in football as a lone player? There's no machine out to murder him. It was simply his foot and the ball. But Erik didn't learn from all his previous underestimations and he fell flat on his bottom because the floor was slippery. The rain had just stopped and _of course_ he'd decided that it was a good time to start. 

"This is unbelievable, I'm such a dumbass!" Erik cried out half in pain and the other in frustration. He couldn't get up. He'd only just kicked the ball and started chasing after it right before he slipped and fell. He looked around the field for his phone but found it at the other end of the field. "And I'm the dumbass who leaves his phone too far out of his own reach as well!" He whined to no one in particular. He really couldn't get up, he was stuck and the pain wasn't leaving. 

"Sure, you're also the jerk that is worrying everyone to death!" Erik flinched, he'd jump if he could but really, the pain was too much. He was sure he broke his tailbone. He'd know that voice from anywhere. 

"M-Marco!" Erik cried in relief, but also embarrassment. "Thank God you're here! I've been here for hours and I thought no one would ever find me." Marco rolled his eyes. 

"You've only been here for 15 minutes." He now crouched down in front of Erik, staring down at him. Erik couldn't back away because his butt seriously hurt. 

"O-Oh, is that so? It felt like forever.."Erik trailed off, giving a sheepish smile. Marco sighed before glancing around the field. 

"Is this why you've been ditching us? To practice football?" 

"What? No! I'd tried other sports before this.. I did basketball, bowling and baseball." Marco raised his eyebrows in disbelief. 

"And got severely injured in the process? You're unbelievable, Erik." Marco muttered, he sounded pissed and Erik was scared. "Why are you doing this to yourself? And you know, if you wanted to learn how to play football you could ask me. Football isn't just kicking the ball around. By the way, you've zero coordination skills." His tone softened at the last statement. 

"Because." Erik responded, there was no way he was going to tell him the real reason. 

"Because?" Marco prompted him. 

"Why does it even matter for you anyway? I mean.. we aren't.. that close." It took some effort for Erik to say what he wanted to say, sorely disappointed that he'd never get close to Marco. 

"Because." Marco copied, turning away. Erik could see a tint of red on his face and got confused. Why was Marco embarrassed? "Look, you've to tell me alright." Erik shook his head and gave him a defiant stare. Marco suddenly got the hint. "Is this about your crush? You want him to notice you, it's that isn't it?" Erik's red face was the answer. "Is he one of our friends? I can.. help you guys get together." Marco suddenly hesitated, looking unsure of himself. Erik caught sadness in his gaze for a brief moment before Marco turned away once more. 

"Why does it matter so much to you, Marco? That's my business." Erik said softly as he tried to turn Marco to face him. Marco seemed to be taken by surprise when Erik held his face and he jumped a bit, losing balance and ended up almost falling onto Erik. Fortunately, he quickly steadied himself with his hands though trapping Erik's head between them in the process. Erik was almost as red as a tomato and Marco had to smile at the sight before he dropped it and quickly pulled away. He got up and was about to walk away from the situation before Erik finally got up and grabbed his arm. By then, most of the pain had subsided but Erik still had to take a while to get up. 

"Don't let me knock you over again, Marco. You've to answer me!" Erik half demanded and half pleaded. Marco turned back to face him, narrowing his eyes. Erik took an uneasy step back. 

"Don't you ever think for a second that I'd let a wimp like you knock me over!" Marco snapped and Erik winced, his eyes shooting down to the ground immediately. _So he does think I'm a wimp. I was finally right on one thing._

"Then why did you fall?" Erik retorted back weakly. Marco immediately realised that he'd hurt the younger one and in the spur of the moment confessed when he thought of apologising instead. 

"I..I wanted to know what it felt like to have you that close to me." Marco muttered, and for the first time, he looked vulnerable.

"W-What?" Erik needed clarification, that he was not imagining it. But Marco turned away and started walking once again. Erik walked after him on wobbly legs, grabbing his arm again. 

"Because no one is worth you hurting over yourself so badly. Hell, you had to go to the hospital! I want to beat that person up so badly because he makes you think less than you actually are." Marco's words came pouring out before he could even stop himself. He was done for, Erik now knew his feelings. He pulled his arm away from Erik's grip and started running but of course, Erik had to pull him back again.

"H-How did you know I thought that?" Now it was Erik's turn to look, and sound vulnerable. Marco had neither looked at him nor responded. "Please, tell me." 

Erik was now desperate and walked around so that he was finally face to face with Marco. He leaned in until their noses were almost touching. The tension was almost too much, and there was absolute refusal in Marco's eyes as he glared at him. Erik pouted, he really had to know. And suddenly Marco pressed his lips against his for a brief moment. Erik could barely register what happened, that brief moment was enough to have him gasp for air.

"I-I.. um, what?" Erik subconsciously licked his lips, as if trying to taste Marco, and Marco used that momentary shock to pull away and start moving again. This time, he went over to where the football was and picked it up before walking away to the other side far away from Erik. 

"Marco! You can't just do that and leave!" Erik protested as he jogged up to Marco, still tripping over his feet as he did. (At least he didn't get injured this time. Matze would be relieved.) Marco had finally picked up Erik's bag before stopping so that Erik could catch up, raising an eyebrow in question. Erik got embarrassed for the umpteenth time. 

"I-I mean.. it really _is_ unfair, you know?" Erik tried, his lips pursed into a pout again. Once again, Erik felt Marco's lips pressed against his, but this time Marco held the back of his neck to pull him closer and his eyes fell shut. They pulled away a while later and Erik once again had to struggle to get air in his lungs. When he opened his eyes, Marco was smiling wider than he'd seen him when he spoke about football. Erik felt his heart flutter. 

"M-Marco?" 

"You're adorable, you know that?" 

"What?" Erik was still in a daze as the truth sunk into him. Marco _actually_ reciprocated his feelings. _Three years weren't for nothing._ Marco said nothing, he just took Erik's hand and pulled him along. 

"W-Where are we going?" Erik asked, still stumbling a little. 

"Dinner? The others are waiting for us." 

"That long?" 

"We've all been friends for so many years. Honestly, you're really unbelievable." Marco sighed. 

"But, you still like me!" Erik frowned, tugging at their joined hands to get Marco to look at him. 

"I do, don't worry." Marco said with a chuckle before leaning forward to kiss his forehead. 

"I am still so confused but so happy. This is nice." Erik confessed with a bright smile. _He is so silly, but that makes him so much more endearing._ Marco mused.

"Would you like to go out with me this Saturday? We can have lunch, or watch a movie.. whatever you want." 

"Like a date?" There was so much hope in his tone. 

"Mhm." 

"We're dating!" Erik suddenly exclaimed, and Marco had to snort at that.

"Really, what did you think that kiss meant?"

"But, Marco! Did you really think I could think properly after you kissed me? Plus you smiled at me like that, it was oh so beautiful. You might as well have hit me with a hammer because I lost common sense then. Really, you should know what you can do to people." Erik mumbled before throwing a glance at Marco who was smirking. _I shouldn't have fed his ego._ Erik sighed before rubbing his temple. "How did you know I like you though?" 

"I strongly believe in following my heart." Erik snorted while Marco shrugged in response. 

"Haha. But really, Marco." 

"You didn't shove me away the first time I kissed you." 

"Well.. I could have been stunned! Like I said, you need to know the effect you have on people." 

"Twice?" Marco shot him a look, eyebrow raised at him as if to defy his question. 

"F-Fine, I do like you." Erik responded meekly. "I've been crushing on you for a very long time." 

"Great, because I did too and I was thinking of giving up. I thought I stood no chance with you ditching on us like that, getting injured so badly just to get someone to notice you. Which, of course was me." 

"You're only like that because you knew it was yourself. You freaked out earlier." 

"Shush. Not to mention, Mats kicked me out of his house because I kept 'complaining' about you not joining us as he'd put it. I can't believe Marcel and Matze backed him up as well! I can't believe my own best friend did that to me. But then again, maybe because we were playing FIFA and he wanted to take my place. ("Priorities." Erik snorted.) Then the whole group agreed I wasn't to come back until I either had you with me hand in hand or at least.. Less grumpy as they'd put it." 

"Wait, how come Mats didn't tell me or Matze that you liked me back? I have been whining and complaining to Matze for months. And I know Matze has been texting him, complaining to him in return. I thought Mats was on my side!" 

"He was sworn not to tell." Marco smirked, there was an unspoken _or else_ in the air. Erik had to gulp before Marco quickly assured him. "It's some girl he likes, I'm supposed to throw in a good word for him. Besides, he never told me you like me. He just said you might be at the field risking another stupid injury for some stupid reason." 

"It wasn't stupid!" 

"So what's the reason? That if you got crippled you'd get sympathy from your crush? All we knew was that you were coming from 'runs' injured and as Auba said, you're unbelievable." Erik blushed. 

"I thought that if I was able to beat you at something, you'd finally notice me." Marco stared at him in disbelief. 

"How could I not notice you?" 

"You never said anything, or make it seem like you did. And when you look at me, it looked like you were judging me or some sort. You never seemed happy to see me-" 

"And Marcel said I was trying to devour you with my eyes." Marco rolled his eyes. "I did try very hard to not seem obvious. So it was a blessing I can talk about football and you wouldn't be able to join in." 

"I'm sore." Erik winced as he rubbed his bottom. 

"That's what happens when you've zero coordinations with kicking the ball." Marco had to smile. 

"I'm not so bad in basketball!" 

"So about the bruises and bloody wounds on your arms and legs? How do you even get bruises unless the ball hit you?" Erik laughed nervously, Marco had no idea how close to the truth he was. 

"I'd love to go on a date with you on Saturday. Lunch for that matter." Erik muttered as he squeezed Marco's hand, hopefully bringing him away from his embarrassing injuries. Marco's snicker told him that he was well aware of his intentions. "So how long have you liked me?" Erik tugged at their joined hands to get Marco to look at him, but he just shook his head and continued walking. 

"Fine, I can play the game of ignoring too." Erik huffed and pulled his hand away, biting back the whine that threatened to spill at the loss of warmth. 

"A week after you'd joined us." Marco whispered as he took his hand once more, lacing their fingers together this time. 

"Wait, what? I'm going to kill Mats! That day Matze invited me over to watch you guys for practice I'd asked him for your name. Do you know what he told me? He just scrunched his nose and snorted before telling me I'd never like you because you're a 'dumbass who is full of himself'." 

"I'm not a dumbass who is- okay I have to admit sometimes I am." Marco bit his lip before he almost doubled over in laughter, almost pulling Erik with him. He could imagine the scene. That was around the time Mats was jealous he was close to the girl he liked. 

"It's not funny!" Erik protested. "I'm still going to beat him up." 

"Sure you can." 

"Your attitude is going to bring you bad luck." 

"With you as good luck, I'm sure it won't be so bad. They'll counter each other." 

"Cheesy." Erik smiled and turned to press a kiss to Marco's cheek. Once they stood in front of the restaurant, Marco pulled his hand away from Erik's. _Shy dork._ Erik thought as he grabbed at his hand once more. "No way, Marco. I'm going to walk in there like I won a trophy for being recognized from all those sports I tried." And with that, Erik skipped into the restaurant over to their table with Marco in toll. 

"Praise the lord I don't have to listen to him anymore!" Marcel and Matze cried out in unison before looking at each other and bursting out into laughter followed by the other members. 

"Our dear Mats is so _great_ at keeping secrets." Erik gave a sickening smile. Mats might not be able to get the girl he wanted afterall. And the look of fear on Mats' face when Erik and Marco shared a knowing look -that seemed to promise misery and torture for him- was worth the years of waiting. 

That and with Marco's laugh that soon followed.


End file.
